Flexible headwear



Aug. 25, 1936.

s. ADAMsoN FLEXIBLE HEADWEAR l Filed March 22, 1935 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 25, 1936 PATENT oFF-.lcs

2,052,12'a Y FLEXIBLE HEADWEAR Seth Adamson, Larchmont,` N. Y., Yassignor .to United States Rubber Productsglnc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 22, 1935,` Serial No. 12,375

2 Claims. (Cl.`2'1"95)"V This `invention relates' to an `article of exible headweanmore particularly to headwear of the brmless type, such as a cap or beret.

Numerous attempts have been made `to produce adjustable flexible articles of headwearV such as caps, by the use of elastic or inelastic draw strings 0r adjustable bands, and also by the use of small inserts of elastic fabric in a leather sweat band. These types of adjustable headwear have been objectionable by reason of cost, complexity, difficulty of manufacture, appearance and other reasons.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible article of headwear, such as a cap or beret which is self-adjusting and capable of f1tting dierent sizes and shapes of head.

Another object is to provide such a flexible article of headwear which will remain firmly in place on the head without uncomfortable binding.

Another object is to provide a flexible, self-adjusting article of headwear which is of simple construction, good appearance and not expensive to manufacture.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description and drawing in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a lined cap showing one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through'an unlined form of cap showing a slightly modified construction;

Fig. 3 is a bottom View of the cap shown in Fig. 2

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a beret and showing another slight modification of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the beret of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1 there is shown a cap having a body I, the lower edge of which is inwardly and upwardly turned for a short distance as shown at 2. Disposed between this upwardly turned portion 2 and the body I of the cap is a narrow relatively thick tape or band 3 of elastic fabric having a relatively strong contractive force, this band or tape being secured to the inwardly and upwardly turned portion 2 in any suitable manner as by the stitching 4. Disposed on the inner side of the upwardly turned portion 2 is an elastic sweat band 5, which is attached adjacent its lower edge to the lower part of the upturned portion 2 as by the stitching 6. This sweat band may be made of any suitable narrow elastic fabric, such as a grosgrain ribbon, and it has a contractive force much less than that of the narrow band 3, for reasons which will be hereinafter explained. Attached adjacent the upper edge ofthe sweat band 5 isa lining l which is' secured thereto by the stitching 8.

1n' the form shown in Fig. 2, the invention is applied to an unlined cap, the body 9 of which has its lower end inwardly and upwardly turned as shown at I, and disposed between this upturned portion Ill and the body 9 is a narrow relatively thick elastic band or tape II having a relatively strong contractive force, while disposed `on the inner side of the upturned portion IU is an elastic sweat band I2, which may be grosgrain ribbon or other suitable elastic fabric. The narrow band II, the upturned portion I0, and the sweat band I2 maybe secured together by the lines of stitching I3.V While the elastic sweat band preferably extends entirely around the inner circumference of the headwear articles ofthe invention, in the case of a visored cap itis not essential that the elastic sweat band extend around the portion of the head opening adjacent the visor,.and as shown j 5in Fig. 3A the portion I4 of the sweat band adjacent the visor I5 maybe composed of leather, the bal- ,ance` of the sweat. band being made of an elastic fabric band as above described. The cap shown ,'in` Fig. 1 may also have a visor and adjacent leather sweat band portion such as shown in Fig. 3.

. In Fig. 4'the invention is shown as applied to a lberet, the body I6 of the beret being inwardly and upwardly turned at its bottom portion as shown at II, and secured to the inner side of this upturned portion is a narrow relatively thick elastic tape or band I8 having a relatively strong contractive force. This band may be secured in any suitable manner as by the stitching I9. An elastic sweat band 20 of grosgrain ribbon or other suitable fabric is secured adjacent its lower edge to the lower part of the upturned portion I1 as by the stitching 2|.

It has been found that if the sweat band be made of an elastic fabric band having a relatively strong contractive force, it is stiflened to too great an extent and the strong elastic yarns required to be used are so large as to coarsen the fabric and make its appearance undesirable. Moreover, if the sweat band itself have such a strong contractive force, it is liable to bind and be uncomfortable to the wearer. Therefore, by the present invention the sweat band is made of a material such as a grosgrain ribbon which has a good appearance and is otherwise entirely suitable for use as a sweatband, and in the manufacture of this ribbon fine elastic yarns are incorporated so as to extend circumferentially of the article when the ribbon is in position in the hat, the yarns exerting a relatively light gripping force. In order to give the desired contractive force so as to firmly hold the article on the head, the narrow elastic band or tape 3, I I or I8 is provided, in which latter the elastic yarns used have suicient contractive force to provide the desired grip. In addition, by reason of its thickness and position in the article, the narrow band gives a cushioning eifect.

While not essential, it is preferred in making both the tape and sweat band to use an elastic yarn such as disclosed in patent to Adamson, No.

1,322,847, and having a core of rubber deposited directly from latex. Such rubber is of particular value for the purposes of the present invention because of its superior resistance to the action of perspiration and/or organic cleaning fiuids. In order to obtain the desired thickness and greater contractive force, the core of the elastic yarn used in making the tape 3, I I or I8 may be larger than that used for making the sweat band.

In manufacture of the headwear, the narrow elastic band and the elastic sweat band are both attached while slightly extended so that in the finished article of headwear the body material adjacent the fastening of the elastic bands is slightly contracted or fulled. By reason of this when the article is worn it will grip the head of the wearer sufficiently to be firmly retained in windy weather and yet at the same time the con-1 tractive effect is not sufficient to be uncomfortable. The sweat band per se, which is directly in contact with the head of the wearer and is of material having a relatively light contractive force, will grip without any discomfort to the wearer. The narrow band 3, I I or I8, which has a greater contractive effect, is disposed on one side or the other of the inwardly and upwardly turned portion of the body material but always between the sweat band and main body and circumferentially co-extensive with the sweat band, and therefore does not exert pressure directly upon the head of the wearer, which might be uncomfortable. Also, as before pointed out, the narrow elastic band gives a cushioning effect. In spite of care in shrinking the material, a diiicuity in ordinary caps has been the tendency for a perfect fitting cap to shrink after wetting and become too small. Previously the only way this could be compensated for was to make the cap slightly oversize at the back, as for instance in the rear sections or panels. This diiiiculty is avoided by the present invention. Finally, by reason of the elastic sweat band and auxiliary narrow elastic band, the headwear article is adapted to t a number of sizes and shapes of heads, thereby greatly cutting down the number of sizes required to be kept in stock by a dealer. The invention is of course applicable to headgear for both male and female.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that modifications may be made therein, and it is not desired to limit the invention otherwise than as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l.. A cap having its bottom edge turned inwardly and upwardly towards the crown of the cap, an elastic fabric sweat band extending at n least partly around the cap and secured to said upwardly turned bottom edge, and a circumferentially co-extensive elastic tape secured to said upwardly turned bottom edge, said tape being free from the outer wall of the cap and positioned between said elastic sweat band and said outer wall so that it may move relative to said wall.

2. A brmless flexible article of headwear having its bottom odge turned inwardly and upwardly towards the crown, an elastic fabric sweat band extending at least partly around said article and secured to said upwardly turned bottom edge, and a circumferentially co-extensive elastic tape of greater contractive strength than said elastic sweat band, said tape being free from the outer wall ci the article of headwear and positioned between the said band and said outer wall and secured in place therebetween so that it may move relative to said outer wall.

SE'IH ADAMSON. 

